The Sacrifice
by RisingPhoenix1993
Summary: After playing the second game Julian has got Jenny. She can see the vortex looming towards her. She's struggling to get away from it but Julian has her tight in his grasp. Suddenly she is in the Shadow World and Julian will stop at nothing to completely claim her as his. The question is, how far will Julian go to make Jenny his? And is Tom ready to give her up to the Shadow Man?
1. Chapter 1

**The Sacrifice**

**CHAPTER 1**

**Title: **The Sacrifice

**Author: **Me

**Fandom: **(Source of the **original** work) The Forbidden Game Trilogy (_The Hunter, The Chase, _and _The Kill)_ by L. J. Smith

I do not own any of the characters nor do I intend to cause offense, harm, or disrespect to anyone including the author. I really enjoy the trilogy and writing some creative work in the world created by L. J. Smith is my way of showing appreciation to her and her creativity.  
_

**I hope you all enjoy my fanfic! I would love feedback and although I do have a plan, any ideas or additions to the plot which you would like to see please either review it or PM me. Thank you.**

Shit. Where the hell was he? Jenny was engulfed in a darkness so thick she could practically feel it suffocating her with every shuddering gasp she took. The darkness swallowed her, which could only mean that Julian was close, far too close. And still she had not found the painting of the door. _Where the fuck was it? _Running she grappled blindly along the walls, and cursed when she fell over a coffee table. Her shins smacked right into it, flipping her over the entire thing. Angrily she got up and wiped away her stinging tears. _Now is not the time_, she thought. _Just find that bloody painting_. Hobbling she carried on groping her way around the house, her fingertips clinging to the wall on her right hand side. Her heart was practically in her throat.

"Jennyyyyyy" a whisper filled the pitch black room. _Oh god_ _he's here_. _Don't scream don't scream don't scream. _She couldn't breathe, or see, or move. "Jennyyyy" the hiss was closer now. _RUN _the voice inside her urged. And she did; as fast as she could. She knew she was running towards the kitchen before the realisation properly hit her. He was going to find her, and when he did he would take her. Her hands clumsily fumbled around the kitchen sides until they found what they were looking for. She grasped its handle and held it down at her right side, hidden. _He can try and take me_, she thought.

She felt more in control now, and much more determined. One step, next step, another, her feet stepping slowly but purposefully through the kitchen. Moving through the doorway she went to her left, being careful of her footing as she knew the steps leading down to the garage were close. She moved up against something soft, and cried out in realisation. "No!" Strong fingers grasped her upper arms, holding her in place. She struggled desperately, her hair coming out of its pony tail and falling over her face. "No! Let. Me. Go."

"Shhhh", he hushed, maintaining his grip.

She remembered. Her fingers brushed the hilt of the knife, angled it towards him and thrust herself forwards into him, to plunge it deep in his stomach. However, just as she pushed herself into him he side stepped her. He spun her around so her back was to him and one hand was on her throat, holding her in place, and his other hand grasped her wrist tightly, trying to make her drop the knife.

"Let go Jenny. You've lost. Accept it."

Now she was full on crying. She felt utterly helpless.

"Jennyyyy", he whispered into her hair.

She struggled feebly as tears streamed down her face. She had failed. He had her. He had won. The knife fell from her grasp to clatter on the floor. The sound reverberated, emptiness echoing emptiness.

"Shhhhh. I've got you." Something stirred in Jenny, his words struck a nerve. She did not have to accept this. This is not the way her world worked. You could not take someone as your own just because they lost some stupid game. She struggled again, this time with more energy.

"Jenny stop this", he shook her. _Was that irritation? _

"Let me go Julian. You're… you're…" a thought came to mind, "you're hurting me!"

"Oh". He let go of her immediately at which point she sprinted away from him only to have him catch her by the waist and pull her back towards him.

"Fuck off!"

"Jenny!" he commanded, her hair was encased in his fist as he pulled her head back, forcing her face upwards.

"You can't do this", she whispered, struggling to breathe with her head so far back. "You can't."

"I can Jenny. You lost the game. That's all. But now you are mine. I said I would win in the end didn't I? Don't struggle, don't fight me Jenny. I love you, and I know you love me too." He bent down and forced her lips up to his and kissed her, hard. His hand twisted in her hair, pushing her face into his. His lips moved on hers hungrily. She whimpered, helplessly, a tear tracing its way down her face.

When he dragged his lips away he was panting, his eyes shining brightly down on her. He wanted more. He enveloped her into him, embracing her tiny self in his strong hold.

"It's time to go", he murmured.

"I don't want too…."

"It's time."

"I'm scared."

"Don't be. I will take good care of you, I promise. I love you." He kissed her more gently this time. The fight had gone out of her completely. She had lost. The laws of her world did not apply to his, and his world was the one that mattered here. She would go, because she had no choice. But she would not stay there - she had resolved this the very moment that he held her in his arms. She would return to her own world, and when she did, she would make sure Julian never dared return to find her again.

"Here we go." He stepped forwards and suddenly they were falling. Jenny got that sickening feeling in her stomach. Involuntarily she screamed and clung to Julian, terrified. They were falling through blackness with electric blue lines zigzagging past them as they plummeted. Her hair was blown up around her face, her hands getting colder as the wind whistled past them, and still they kept on falling.

After a few minutes she noticed they were slowing down and she could see a glimpse of a white carpet getting closer. Surprisingly they landed relatively softly, Julian catching Jenny's elbow to stop her from stumbling when they did. She shrugged him off and moved away from him, but couldn't help herself from looking around. _Where am I? _

They were standing in an impressive foyer with a grand staircase leading upstairs. The staircase was a light coloured wood which led up to another three stories; Jenny's eyes widened in amazement. This place was huge. And it was beautiful. A chandelier glittered above her, sparkling from the light being given off by the lamps which adorned the walls.

"Do you like it?"

Jenny snapped out of her reverie and stared angrily at him.

"What is it?" he asked cautiously.

"Where are they?"

"Oh…" he at least had the grace to lower his eyes, she thought.

"What have you done with them all? Are they safe? Have you kept up your end of this sick bargain?"

"Jenny…" he tried to move towards her but instead she spat out the words,

"Don't you move any closer. I don't want you anywhere near me Julian. What have you done with them?"

"Be careful Jenny", he warned, his voice low and threatening.

But she didn't care. "How dare you threaten me", she whispered back. She was furious. Julian always awakened extreme passions in her which she usually found unsettling and irritatingly erotic, but this time she was glad of the strength and courage the emotion was giving her against him. "Answer me."

Julian sighed, running a hand through his hair as white as icicles covered with frost, and let it fall over his eyes; eyes that were the deepest blue: soothing and dangerous; passionate and merciless, desirous and hungry. She had to snap out of this, Jenny realised. She could not let him distract her like this, not now.

"The door separating them from their world will have opened for them. They should have all left by now."

"Should?"

"Well I haven't had time to check Jenny. You put up rather a chase" a wolfish grin appearing on his face which she didn't return. His smile faltered. "Jenny, you chose to play the game. I played by the rules, you knew what would…"

"Enough" she snapped, cutting him off. "Firstly", she took an intimidating step forward, "where the fuck did my choice come into it? If I am not mistaken my so called 'choice' was either be taken by you unwillingly to your world where I would be yours, whatever that means, or play the game which you would make sure I would lose, resulting in being taken to this place unwillingly, yet again. Do not pretend it was my choice. Don't you dare. And secondly," she took yet another step forward so she was directly in front of him, "you made damn well sure that I would lose from the start. As for those so called rules of yours…" she spat on the ground in answer. Much to her satisfaction Julian's eyes opened wide in surprise and shock.

She couldn't believe how invigorated she felt. All of the anger, frustration and hurt that Julian had caused her over the last two games was pulsing through every vein in her being. She was practically shaking with emotion. She felt brave, courageous, and daring.

Until she saw his eyes change; they visibly looked darker and he looked absolutely terrifying. Her resolve faltered and she cautiously stepped back, suddenly frightened. All of her strength had disappeared in a single moment. She felt like a small, scared, little girl lost in a dark, unknown world with a monster; a monster who wanted her and would do anything to keep her.

"Be careful Jenny. You are in my world now." He didn't move, his words echoing in Jenny's head. Her breath quickened and she had frozen. "I'll show you to your room", and he took her hand and started leading her up the stairs.

In a daze Jenny unthinkingly started following until she came to her sense and wrenched her hand back hissing at him "take me home you bastard."

With that Julian grabbed her hand back and started dragging her up the stairs. "No! Let me go!" Jenny protested more, desperately trying to grasp the bannister at which point he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, with her continuing to kick and object.

She felt him turn and gradually the stairway in front of her got smaller as he walked down a long hall way, carpeted in the same colour as the foyer. The walls were adorned with various photographs and painted vases stood on tiny tables to the side however she took little notice of them as they were too far for her to reach and hold on to. Eventually she felt him stop and walk through a door into a lilac room. Yet she had little time to take in her surroundings as he swiftly slung her off his shoulder and gently but forcefully pushed her onto a large, white bed. Before she could get up and make a run for it he had already silently left and shut the door on her just as she was clambering up to make her attempt. Nevertheless she bolted to the door and rattled the handle, only to find out it was locked. He had locked her in her own prison cell; a cell made up of lilac walls, a white carpet, and a white double bed. Frantically she rattled the handle again, she tried to pull the door, push it, kick it; even slamming herself into it would not make the door budge. Feebly she banged her fists on the door as tears of realization slid down her cheeks. Unable to contain it she outwardly started sobbing as she crossed the room to fling herself onto the bed where she cried herself to sleep, soaking a soft pillow with her salty tears.

He continued scrunching up the paper in his fist until it couldn't get any smaller. He was going to kill Julian. He didn't know how yet but he was going to do it. Once and for all he would rid Jenny, himself, and all of their other friends of this sick, twisted, sadistic creature.

"Tom, are you alright?" Michael gingerly laid a hand on Tom's shoulder.

"Of course he's not alright" Audrey snapped. "None of us are."

"I know but…"

"Just give it a rest Michael" Dee sighed.

Zach was sitting apart from everyone else, in a corner of the garage, silently watching everyone. _It just never ends _he thought. _Even though we've lost…_ He remembered back to when they had been stuck in a cafeteria which was inside a painting; a painting which was facing him now, and had been sitting there in his garage since he had completed it a few months ago. Even though he knew it was not his fault he blamed himself since he had painted it. They had been stuck there for weeks, receiving food on an automated conveyer belt which Zach had painted, waiting around sitting at tables he had also painting, with only each other's company and the brooding silences to occupy them, combined with the few unwelcome but always memorable visits from Julian. That had been the most awful aspect of the whole ordeal in Zach's mind. And most likely everyone else's also.

Julian loved to taunt Tom the most. However, it was vastly different to his psychological torture of the first game where he had tied Tom up in front of a mirror to watch Jenny with Julian, fighting against Julian, and being manipulated into accidentally giving him permission to touch her as a result of an exquisite silver rose.

No, since Jenny had defied Julian after the first game Julian had definitely turned much more sadistic in his desire for her. The worst visit from Julian had been the very last time they had seen him. Smirking, he had strolled into the cafeteria through a door which only he could enter and leave by; a door which Zach had not actually painted, which did relieve him a little of the guilt. His eyes had been flashing malevolently, his usually silver hair gleaming white, and he looked the epitome of arrogance. Languidly he had placed himself onto a seat next to Tom, still smirking, and said, "Well hello there little Tommie."

It was not uncommon for Julian to mock Tom however instantly this had felt different. Tom had sensed it as well. He had cautiously sat up straight, looked his torturer in the eye and calmly replied "Hello Julian." Julian had smiled at that.

"So much self-control Tommie. I had rather hoped you would be putting up more of a fight for your girl. Although," he snickered, "you haven't given much of a damn about her the last few months have you, so why would today be any different?"

Tom had visibly stiffened at that, a reaction Julian did not fail to notice. "What have you done?" Tom had demanded, panic etched upon his rigid features.

"Ah no… it is what I am about to do little Tommie." He had then leaned in to whisper in Tom's ear, words that only Tom had been able to hear which resulted in Tom grabbing Julian by the collar of his leather jacket, drawing back his fist until Julian had slammed his head down onto the table and held him there. His last words had been hissed in Tom's ear, yet heard by everyone in the room, "Keep going like that dear Tommie and I will kill you. And I will make her see just how I will kill you. I will have her, make no mistake about that. And when I take her to my world, she will be mine to do with as I please. So keep going you little shit because nothing would give me greater pleasure than to kill you with my own bare hands before returning to Jenny's bed in celebration." Julian had then released Tom to walk away from them and out of the cafeteria one last time, whilst the rest of them had stared at Tom in horror of what they had all just heard.

Zach remembered the madness that had gripped Tom in that moment. Wildly he tried sprinting after Julian through the door, only to be greeted with an explosion which knocked him off his feet onto his back in the centre of the cafeteria. He had then tried throwing everything he could find at the door, before trying to run through it again. Tom had repeated this over and over until Dee had finally seized Tom by his collar, put him in an arm lock, and marched him back to the table where she had forced him into a seat, much to everyone's relief. Audrey had sat down next to him and enveloped him in her arms as he cried into her shoulder. Everyone had sat around the table with him then. Everyone but Zach, who was seated apart from the group, just watching, feeling numb.

Zach remembered how Tom had banged his fist on the table shouting "I WILL get her away from him. I will. I will. We will not lose; she has to come back to me. I have so much to tell her, so much more to give her, just to be so much more with her." Audrey had tried quelling his cries with uncharacteristically soothing strokes whilst everyone had meekly looked on, unable to think of anything to say. Eventually Tom's anguish had repressed into a deafening silence; tears replaced by dry eyed thoughts, cries replaced by plotting silence, anguish replaced by loathing.

Tom's hatred of Julian had consumed him in that moment, only to be fuelled further when an archway had appeared to the side of them, showing Zach's garage. When they had all stepped through a piece of paper floated down to rest at Tom's feet. He had picked it up; in elegant, flowing lines the words glared up at Tom, a final piece of mockery from the shadow man:

_I won the game Tommie. And I won the girl. Jenny is mine. _

And now here Tom sat, hunched in a corner of the room; a man broken by the loss of the one thing which meant everything to him. His face reflected all of his regrets and defeats he felt surrounding Jenny. All of the times he never held her when she needed him to, when he never kissed her when he wanted to, when he never told her how much he loved her when he needed to. Distancing himself away from her had been a mistake, he had learned that much at least from Julian's untimely visits. Deliberately or not Julian had revealed his true self to Tom, forcing Tom to recognize that last year what Julian showed him in that mirror was unlikely to all be true, and the parts that may have been were unlikely to have been as truthful as they first appeared. And in all honesty, the real Julian Tom thought he had glimpsed absolutely terrified him. He could not, would not leave Jenny with him. She was much more vulnerable than he had realised the last few months when he had stupidly been ignoring her.

All of his friends could see how defeated his looked, how much anguish he was in. However, they all inwardly froze when they saw what lurked in his eyes. A deep, dark fury stared back at them from eyes that chilled each of them, for the eyes spoke volumes for what he would do to get her back.


	2. Chapter 2

A damp right cheek.  
A white pillow.  
Some light.  
Silence.

Groggily Jenny's eyes prised themselves open. Sniffling and dazed she lifted her head from her pillow. As she looked around she remembered what had happened. As realisation took over she could immediately feel the tears wanting to return. She shook her head vigorously, willing them to go away. Crying would do her no good now. She was here, with Julian, in a world completely different from her own. _Time to get my shit together _she breathed, choking down the upcoming tears.

Wiping her face on the sheet she forced herself to get up, only to be blinded by how white the room was. Its whiteness was startling: a white fluffy carpet, a huge white wardrobe to her left and another equally large chest of white drawers on her right, white circular lights within the ceiling, and the white double bed with its white sheets and covers in the centre. The only colour came from the walls which were a light shade of lilac, so light that it blended uncomfortably with the white room. Jenny thought the room was very…sterile.

Nevertheless she was curious. Opening one of the doors of the wardrobe she looked inside to find it full of an array of clothes in a variety of colours. She couldn't help herself running her hands along some of the items: orange silk dresses, blue velvet skirts, white lace tops, excessively long evening gowns, tiny bikinis, cute summer dresses, a couple of fur coats, …Jenny had never seen such a variety in a single wardrobe. Eagerly she crossed to the other side of the room where the chest of drawers was. The first drawer she shut as soon as she glanced at it. She wasn't ready for that yet.

Sighing she leant against the chest of drawers, which is when she noticed the door next to the wardrobe. It was lilac, just like the walls, and so had merely blended in with the rest of the room, evading her notice. However, leaning against the drawers she could see a vague outline and a glittering handle. Warily she crossed the room, gingerly holding the handle in her left hand to carefully open it, half expecting some monster to leap out at her like they had in the first game. Yet no such fate occurred and instead the door swung open to reveal a magnificent bathroom.

In the centre sat a Jacuzzi bath tub_, literally the size of three baths put together,_ she thought; next to it stood a white wicker chair with a pile of soft towels; in the top left hand corner was a quaint pearl white dressing table with a mirror, and around the walls were shelving upon shelving of lotions, shampoos, skin care products, dental products, hair products, make up, brushes and nail varnishes.

She couldn't help herself from picking up some of the bottles which looked interesting. Scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and fruits along with smells she had never smelled from a bottle before such as the smell of trees or a sparkly bubble bath concoction which smelled of home baking.

She wanted a bath, she decided, turning on the taps and pouring in a generous amount of bubble bath scented _athlaqua_; not a scent she had ever heard of but the label showed a dark blue flower floating down what looked to be a river of snow in the picture. Clearly it was not from her world. Yet she instinctively liked the smell; it smelt of morning grass still covered in dew, a smell which reminded her of home.

After undressing herself she gratefully lowered herself into her steaming bath, leaving the taps on, enjoying a sound other than silence. Tilting her head back she felt her body finally relax, letting the steam cloud everything.

For a moment she just lay there, enjoying the feeling of the water sliding over her body, watching it ripple and wave and foam from the running taps as the scent of fresh grass filled the room. She took a deep breath, let it out, and began to think everything through.

She had lost the game, her world, and herself. Lost. And there was a danger of losing herself to Julian with his blue eyes and stark white hair and the way his face could change from extreme hunger for her to amusing and oddly human…_stop it! _She splashed herself to get her out of her reverie. _Remember Jenny! Remember what he has done. Summer! _The name was the twist of a knife in her stomach before being heartlessly wrenched out.

Tears starting welling up again in her eyes, but this time she let them fall, allowing them to trickle down her face, fall onto her breasts, and slide into the water.  
"I'm sorry Summer", she whispered out loud to no one.  
She wasn't sobbing like last night, instead she was remembering. It just made her sad, which was okay. She needed to remember Summer. Jenny remembered Summer in her cute little dresses and shoes, the way her big eyes would look up to Jenny in absolute trust and innocence; her friend, her innocent, blue-eyed, china-doll friend who Jenny was supposed to take care of; a beautiful, fragile bird.

And that fragility had killed her. She wasn't meant for a game where you had to live a nightmare. It demanded strength, a will-power, a determination to win. There was no room for weakness in the Shadow World.

_But you lost the game Jenny and you didn't die…Julian let you live_, came an unwelcome inner voice. _Julian…._he had killed Summer. He could have stopped it at any time, even pulled her out from the garbage himself but he didn't. He had been trying to show Jenny that he would win her at any cost. That he had no mercy, that only Jenny interested him.

Selfish, cruel, dangerous – all words which came to mind when she thought of him. He absolutely terrified her. But more importantly, it froze her to her core to think what might happen to her if she stayed here. He would win, no doubt about that. He was too strong. He had always been too strong.  
_But that doesn't mean I have to give up now…_Jenny thought to herself. She needed to figure out what she wanted. And if truth be told she did not know. So much had happened over the last two games, and Jenny herself had changed. She had grown stronger but also more vibrant. The emotions Julian awakened in her gave her a brightness and a strength which Tom had never given her.

Her relationship with Tom had been a mundane, selfish relationship where Tom wanted and wanted and wanted but never made Jenny feel as wanted as Julian did. It had only struck Jenny over the last few months when he had been such a prick, right when she had needed him the most. _I have actually stopped loving him _she thought. And her answer felt right to her, liberating. He was not the man she needed. Julian had shown her that, and had sparked unknown passions in Jenny also. Yet that did not change what he was, a monster; a monster who took what he wanted with no regard for anyone but himself.

The means he would go to, in order to have Jenny as his was, quite frankly, horrifying. He had dragged her up here when she had tried to fight him, and again she had lost. She had to stop being so meek and weak otherwise he would have her, and she would be his, and everything would have been for nothing. Summer's death would have been for nothing. And Jenny couldn't let that happen. It was time to show Julian she was not a play-thing. She had no choice but stay here, for now. She would make Julian fear her the way he had frightened her the last two games. It would take time, learning, and preparation. But it was necessary. Jenny did not want to stay here. She wanted to be home with her friends. And possibly with Julian, but he would need to change for that to happen. And she needed to confront him about Summer. If he showed no remorse, then she would have her answer.

She washed her hair with shampoo and conditioner she recognised from home, needing something normal and stable to her, and then stepped out of the now luke-warm bath and wrapped her body and hair in the towels.

Feeling … different she padded her way out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. She hesitated around the chest of drawers but decided to grow up a bit and look inside the top drawer again.

It was filled with lingerie, all neatly laid out and _all _of it matching. She had only ever worn this sort of thing occasionally with Tom, or rather _for _Tom, she thought. _Perhaps it's time I start doing things for myself… _she surmised.

She looked inside the drawer, properly this time. _Was that…Is that…? _In disbelief she picked up a fur bra. It was exactly the same colour as Julian's eyes; distinct and yet impossible to define. Naturally there were matching pants with it. She dropped it back in. _Bizarre _she concluded.

Some had sequins, some feathers, some were velvet, silks, lace, reds, blues, purples, greens, blacks, whites, oranges, silvers, and there was even one the exact colour of her hair. That caught her attention and she picked it up to look closer. She had absolutely no idea what it was made of, but it was soft and silky with a lace trim at the top.

"Ah I see you found my favourite drawer."

Jenny jumped out of her skin. Whirling herself around she caught Julian leaning against the wardrobe, arms crossed, smirking at her.

"I didn't mean to make you jump. Sorry." He was actually laughing.

Jenny didn't return the humour. He had crept up on her without her even noticing. That was dangerous.

"What do you want?"

"To help you get dressed."

"Well I'm pretty sure I can manage it myself Julian. I have been getting myself dressed, by myself, for many years now. Shock horror I know."

Julian's eyes narrowed at her sarcasm. Jenny couldn't stop the corners of her mouth in turning upwards in a satisfied smile.

"Very funny. I wanted to see how you were. Last night was…well it wasn't how I had envisaged our first night together going."

Jenny shook her head in disbelief. She could hardly believe him.

"Well Julian, how did you expect it to go? Did you expect me just to fall into your arms after having you rip me away from my home? Perhaps you expected me to forget all you have done and just gladly fall into your bed with you?" She raised her eyebrows defiantly at him, daring him to reply.

"I don't want to fight today Jenny. Just get dressed. I'll be back in 20 minutes."

And with that he strode right out of her room, leaving her there shaking with anger at his assumption over last night. She was pleased with herself though. However, she needed to be careful in not making him angry; when he was angry he would turn twisted and cruel and goodness know what he would do then.

She returned to the underwear in her hand. After towelling herself dry she put the underwear on, and chose a mid-length green skirt and a cream coloured blouse to go with it. She searched for a hair-dryer but could not find one. Sighing she attempted to towel dry her hair, before pulling a hairbrush through the wet tangles, before looking at herself in the mirror.

An ordinary girl stared back at her with honeyed hair and green eyes. But she no longer felt ordinary; there was a fire within her, a form of defiance, and Julian had better be ready.

* * *

He sat, alone on the bed, just staring. His face was frowned in thought though. She was so different. Ever since last night she had been much more…strong. But he enjoyed a power struggle. He would win her over. Let her have her fight, her act of defiance. And then he would crush it and she would be his to do with as he pleased. He wanted her, more than anything ever. The fact he was so close to having her as _his_, properly, not just in the fact she had to stay with him now, was frustrating. And Julian did not like being frustrated and not getting exactly what he wanted. He might even enjoy her struggle to beat him, it was like another game. Julian smiled to himself. He was going to have some fun. And despite the more cruel thoughts which were flooding his mind as he contemplated ways to ensure she became his, he was actually looking forward to showing her the other worlds which existed. He was excited to share new experiences with her in person, not just with him watching over her but to do things which she would enjoy _with _her. Firstly though, he better let her have her little game with him first. Before his own game began.

Calmly he got up and climbed up the stairs to where her temporary room was. He had placed her on the third floor, to give her space but also to make sure he was between her and the ground floor and the front door. Although it was extremely unlikely she would get out, he feared more the possibility of something else getting _in. _Plus it gave her an entire floor to herself. At the moment she needed some space to collect herself. Later though, she would join her on his floor, in his room, in his bed…and what fun he would have. With her. And with Tom.

He hated that sulky, moody boy. And he hated the fact Jenny had shared so many first experiences with him first. Never mind, he would show her new things that she could never even imagine. And if he got jealous, he could always pierce the veil between the two worlds and torment Tom every now and then, to make him feel better.

Julian had tried to make the house as light as possible, to make it more to Jenny's liking. He wanted her to like the house. But if she didn't he would re-do it in a heartbeat for her.

Walking down the landing towards her door he was very excited. He was going to share his first ever breakfast with someone. _How human _he smiled to himself. Pausing outside of the door he knocked three times.

She didn't come immediately, which irritated him. However he wasn't left waiting longer than about 30 seconds before she opened the door and was standing in front of him. She looked lovely, he thought. Exactly how his Jenny ought to look on a relaxing morning. He very much approved of the skirt which matched her eyes, and her towel-dried hair was adorable.

"You look lovely Jenny" he told her.  
She was actually taken aback by his very genuine compliment. "Thanks Julian" and she even smiled at him. She couldn't help herself.

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"I am actually pretty hungry," she even giggled which made Julian want to take her there and then. But instead he wolfishly grinned.  
"Would you do me the honour of escorting you to breakfast Miss Thornton?"  
"Gladly Mr. Shadowman" and she playfully took his arm and let him lead her down the hallway and down the two flights of the grand staircase to reach the impressive foyer.

"Woah" she involuntarily gasped as she looked around the foyer, almost as if she were seeing it for the first time. It was stunning. Last night she hadn't appreciated how grand it all was. The lamps which adorned the walls had flames of different colours coming out of them. One was blue, another green, another purple, one orange, one pink, one white, and one yellow. The chandelier above her was glittering different colours across the room like a rainbow.

The room itself was of a lightly coloured wood, but it looked tasteful and expensive. There were photographs on the walls of what Jenny could only assume were different worlds: beaches where the sea was a bright pink, a world covered in snow and ice, another covered in the blue flower which looked very much like the blue flower on the bottle of bubble bath Jenny had used earlier. She would ask Julian about all of the photographs later, because despite her frustration and anger, she was intrigued.

However what struck her the most about the foyer was the ceiling. It was a bright sunny day, with just the merest wisp of a cloud in it. It lit up the whole room in a beautiful, seemingly natural daylight. "Julian what is this?"

"Oh that. I thought you might like that. It's to give our house some daylight and as the day goes on, the sky will change accordingly. Although in my world we don't have night and day, in your world you do and I thought you would like to know roughly the time of day. I thought it might make you more comfortable in settling in."

Jenny nodded briefly before continuing to stare up at it. Until she heard and felt Julian whisper in her ear behind her, "Do you like it?"

His whisper sent electrical currents pulsating through her whole body. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, and Julian could too. "Mmmm?" Julian questioned and then Jenny felt hot lips against her neck kissing ever so gently, teasing her. Her breath caught in her throat and she involuntarily inclined her head to expose more of her neck…

"Come, let's have some breakfast" he whispered against her neck before pulling away, leaving Jenny taking shaky breaths, wanting so much more.

_Summer, Summer, remember Summer!_

She had to focus. _Deep breath in, deep breath out, deep breath in, deep breath out. _It didn't stop her heart from beating furiously against her chest though. Julian just excited her.

"This way" and he clasped her right hand in his left and started leading her away from the foyer down another hallway, and into the first room on the right.

The room was of the same coloured wood and also had lamps on the walls; however instead of multi-coloured lights coming out they were all a very natural yellow, the normality of which settled Jenny slightly.

"Take a seat Jenny", Julian commanded, pulling out the chair facing away from the door. Jenny sat down, taking in her surroundings. The room was rather small and intimate, with an average sized mahogany table in the centre, and deep indigo drapes hanging over the table. On the table was a white tablecloth, a single daisy in a pale blue vase, silver cutlery, a collection of white china plates decorated with a border of pale blue flowers, two orange juices, and a basket of French pastries.

"Mmmm" Jenny involuntarily vocalised her appreciation as the smell of the fresh pastries wafted to her.

Julian was smiling satisfactorily as he sat down opposite her.

"You look beautiful" he told her, staring at her. He wasn't touching her at all, but Jenny could feel his eyes touching her, undressing her, as she sat there, uncertain how to react, feeling slightly embarrassed. When she bowed her head in embarrassment his hand reached under her chin and lifted it back up. His eyes of two blue pools beneath a snowy mountain of hair looked her in her own green eyes as he said, "Don't be embarrassed Jenny. Don't ever be embarrassed with me. I want you. Everything. All that you are. I love you".

"Julian…I-" Jenny shook her hand out of his grasp, her mind dizzy and confused. He always made her lose her track of thought, especially when he said things like that.

"Julian, I can't love you. I can't."

"But you do Jenny, I can see it." He was actually smirking as he lounged back in his chair. _So confident of himself, the arrogant prick_ Jenny thought to herself. His certainty irritated her.

"You're a monster, why would I love you?" He looked as though she had slapped him across the face. He had definitely not been expecting that answer. She was being more cruel than she wanted to be. But she needed to loath him, she had to! Otherwise Summer's death was all for nothing.

"You murdered my friend Julian. Killed her. In that stupid game of yours. Why couldn't you have just asked me out like a normal guy. Knocked on the door, taken me out for dinner, maybe even bought me some flowers? I don't know. Do it the traditional way!" She was shaking, just like she had last night when she had gotten herself worked up. And just like last night, she carried on going.

"If you love me so much, why did you kill her? You promised me you would never hurt me, but you did Julian. You did." She stared defiantly back at him, her green eyes glittering.

There was silence. Jenny didn't move or break eye contact, and Julian sat there, a blank expression on his face. Much to Jenny's surprise he lowered his eyes. She waited in anticipation.

"She's not dead Jenny" he whispered.

"What?" she whispered back, in disbelief.

"Come, I'll show you."

Before Jenny had time to process he was lifting her from her chair and taking her out of the room, back up the staircase, and into a room further down the hallway from her own room. Julian opened the door for her and warily Jenny stepped through. She had no idea what to expect; perhaps Summer asleep on the floor, drugged into a deep coma, or perhaps she was restrained like Tom had been in the first game...or…Jenny did not know what to think. What she didn't expect however, was a white leather couch and what looked to be an enormous TV, literally the size of a single bed. It was huge.

Jenny looked round at Julian quizzically. Julian led her so she was standing directly in front of the screen. "Put your hand on the glass and say the name". Jenny just stared at Julian, bewildered. at which point Julian sighed impatiently and placed his own hand on the glass before saying "Summer". She had forgotten how impatient he was. But all thoughts of that was driven out of her head when she saw it. The screen changed to show a white room with a tiny figure in it who was unmistakably Summer, covered in a pale blue blanket. Even though she was covered up, Jenny could clearly see the face which was definitely Summer's.

"How…what…?" Jenny stammered, turning around to Julian.

"I could never hurt you like that Jenny" he pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"But where is she?" Jenny was so confused. This changed everything, about Julian, about her, about how she should feel, how she did feel…

"She wasn't safe after the game. My ancestors outside wanted to keep her after the first game. I couldn't let that happen though. I know what she meant to you, still does mean to you. I had to isolate her elsewhere. She's safe, and she's in a deep sleep. She is comfortable I promise you that. It's difficult to explain but just trust me Jenny, please. It broke my heart when I saw how upset you were when you thought she had died, but I couldn't tell you then."

"Why?"

He paused.

"Why Julian? Why did you let me believe she had died?!"

"Because I thought if you felt more alone you would come to me. I'm selfish, I'm sorry Jenny."

He shrugged, at a loss. "I'll be back downstairs having breakfast. Join me when you're ready."

He turned and walked out, leaving Jenny standing there in perplexity. There was so much to process. And she had so many questions. But first she wanted to connect to her world. She was fascinated with the screen. She placed her hand on the screen and muttered "Mum". She said it so quietly she wasn't sure if anything would happen, but it did. She saw her mum with her dad at the table with a police officer, obviously trying to work out where she, Jenny, was. For the first time since being taken Jenny felt the sharp pain of loss in her chest.

"Dee" she murmured next. Dee, Audrey, Michael, and Zach were all sitting together. They were talking animatedly but Jenny couldn't hear what they were saying. No doubt they were trying to get her back – Jenny smiled a lonely smile to herself. It was of no use now.

She had not failed to notice someone's absence though.

Hesitating, uncertain of what she wanted, the final name she whispered was, "Tom."

* * *

Julian was walking downstairs slowly, smiling a cruel smile to himself. He had her. She was here, with him. He had her all to herself. No interference from her friends, no interference from that good for nothing Tom, and he could see he excited her. He would claim her all, and soon, he was determined. And as long as she believed Summer was alive and safe, he would succeed. As long as she never found out the truth, she would love him. He had her, he was sure of it.


End file.
